Efficiency of influence of prebiotic feed additive on productivity, antioxidant protection and immunological status of hens

Abstract

Purpose. The study of the productive traits of chickens when fed with a prebiotic supplement that stimulates the antioxidant and immunological defenses of the body Materials and Methods. The studies were carried out in certified laboratories. The resulting digital material was processed using the statistical package Microsoft Excel, which provides verification of the reliability of the data using the Student's criterion. Results. It has been established that the introduction of the feed additive "LactuSuper" into the diet of laying hens of the Hisex Brown cross dramatically increases their productivity by 85 eggs in 10 weeks of the experiment, or by 1.2 eggs per positive laying hen, the egg-laying intensity – by 1.74%, feed savings – by 0.6 g per day per head, obtaining a hatching egg yield of 4% (97% compared to 93% of the control group). The balance of the feed additive "LactuSuper" with biologically active absorbed absorbable carotenoids in the yolk of the incubation eggs of the experimental group was 23.36% (P≤0.001), which was 16.9 µg/g in absolute values. Incubation of eggs showed a high hatch of chickens in both groups (82.44 and 85.27%), but in the experimental group, the excess in this indicator was 2.83%. High rates of production and quality of hatching eggs in the experimental group, apparently, are provided by the activation of metabolism in the body of chickens, as a result of feeding them the studied additive. Due to the antioxidant properties of the tested feed additive the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased by 11.22% (P≤0.01), glutathione peroxidase (GPO) – by 3.02% (P≤0.05), ceruloplasmin (CP) – by 16.58% (P≤0.01), total antioxidants (TOA) by 26.97% (P≤0.01), and malondialdehyde (MDA) activity decreased by 14.15% (P≤0,01). The level of T-lymphocytes responsible for cellular immunity increased by 12.61% (P≤0.01), and the content of B-lymphocytes characterizing humoral resistance increased by 6.83% (P≤0.05) relative to the control. An increase in the level of classical antibodies was recorded in the experimental group. Thus, the content of IgA and IgG increased by 17.26 (P≤0.01) and 7.62% (P≤0.05) compared with the control. The presence of IgM also exceeded the control values in the experimental group by 7.79% (P≤0.05). Conclusion. Thus, it was found that the feed additive "LactuSuper" developed by us contributed to the increase in the egg production of the parent flock and the quality of hatching eggs. The active substances of the prebiotic supplement ensured a decrease in the level of free radical lipid oxidation, which had a positive effect on the formation of the body's antioxidant defense, strengthening cellular and humoral immunity.